Friday, September 03, 2010

Briefly, I have to take a little on the hosts off level ball. Lithuania have 13 squad players plying their trade at, or above SPL level and those playing domestic football, should have a major fitness edge being 20 games into their season. Eight of the squad have actually played club football in Scotland, so will know their opponents well. The two teams have met three times in Kaunas winning once each, but Glasgow Rangers were also eliminated by Kaunas at the Champions League qualification stage in 2008 and it is hard to see the scottish players having too many positive mental memories of the city.

Scotland have once again suffered a number of late withdrawls/injuries and will be without six players, it is a clear sign of how few options they have that David Weir, at 40 years of age has been recalled to the starting eleven and he will set a record as the oldest player ever in the European Championship. This speaks volumes about Weir's fitness levels, but little about Scotland's future in the competition and their chances of qualifying for a major tournament for the first time in 12 years. Motherwell , Hibs and Celtic have already disappointed in Europe, scottish football is at a very low ebb and with Lituania having beaten Austria and Serbia here in World Cup qualification, it is tough to see the visitors breaking that poor sequence of results, especially given their recent road form, they have lost their last five away starts with a 0-15 goal difference !